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IN THIS ISSUE: New faculty director, climate action, Venturi chlorinator, Native forest practices, emergency translation, Big Ideas finalists, Zelensky deep fake, May 4 events
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Dan Fletcher Named New Blum Center Faculty Director
Daniel Fletcher, Blum Center Associate Director of Research since 2018 and Berkeley bioengineering faculty since 2002, has been named the new Faculty Director for the Blum Center for Developing Economies at UC Berkeley. “I am honored and eager to take on the challenges of directing the Center’s efforts to further expand our impact," says Fletcher. (CalBakar photo by Mark Joseph Hanson)
> Read the announcement
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‘OK Doomer’ Quotes Climate Advocate Kristy Drutman (GPP Class of '17)
New York Times Magazine: Exploring intergenerational tensions regarding climate change, alum Kristy Drutman, using the social media handle @browngirl_green, is quoted saying that many communities of color lack “the time or privilege to get lost on climate doom. They have to focus on solutions, because their survival is literally on the line.” (NY Times photo by Belleme)
> Read more
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Pickering Lab to Increase Clean Water Access with $1.9M Award
With a $1.9 million Open Philanthropy grant, DevEng Prof Amy Pickering will be scaling up and expanding deployment of the "Venturi," an in-line chlorinator device originally designed by local engineers in Bangladesh, Kenya, and the U.S. The team’s field testing has already shown that this low-cost approach to water purification could reduce child diarrhea cases by about 23 percent. (Photo courtesy Amy Pickering, right)
> Read more
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How Indigenous burning shaped the Klamath’s forests for a millennia
Berkeley News: Combining scientific data with Indigenous oral histories and ecological knowledge, research by Blum Center Associate Director for Sustainable Development Matthew Potts shows how cultural burning practices of Native people of the Klamath Mountains helped shape the region’s forests for at least a millennia prior to European colonization. (Photo by Clarke Knight)
> Read more
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Tackling Language Gaps in Wildfire Emergency Communication
The 2018 Kincade Fire in Sonoma County, which sent tens of thousands of residents fleeing – at least a quarter with limited English proficiency – was the inspiration for an “Innovation in Disaster Response” student research project examining language-based needs in the dissemination of wildfire emergency information. (Photo: Noah Berger)
> Read more
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Sixteen Big Ideas Finalists Announced
Big Ideas Contest: Of nearly 200 applications received last fall from UC students system-wide, 16 Big Ideas projects – from AI for retinopathy detection to turkey berry biscuits for iron-deficient adolescents – have been selected to move up in the annual competition. Winners will be announced May 4 — with awards ranging from $5,000 to the Grand Prize of $20,000. (Photo: Daniel Haik)
> Read more
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'Tip of the Iceberg,' says Farid on Russia's Deep Fake of Zelensky
National Public Radio: "It casts a shadow on all content," Blum faculty and digital media forensics expert Hany Farid told NPR about the Deep Fake of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky released from Russia. "The next time the president goes on television, some people might think, "Wait a minute — is this real?'"
> Read more
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CALENDAR
Health Tech CoLab
Inaugural CoLab Student Team Showcase
May 4, 4-5 pm PST, Blum Hall Room 120 and online
Join virtually or in-person for a showcase of student work in the first Health Tech CoLab cohort end-of-year demonstration. Eight interdisciplinary teams from UC Berkeley and UCSF - including some Big Ideas teams - will present. Register for the event here.
Big Ideas Contest
Big Ideas Grand Prize Pitch Day and Awards Celebration
May 4, 4-7 pm PST, Blum Hall Room 100 and online
Winners of awards ranging from $5,000 to the GrandPrize of $20,000 will be announced at the annual event. Read more about the 2021-2022 finalists, and register for the event here.
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